Nova Scotia parties offer conflicting visions on education issues

HALIFAX – Education and help for sexual assault victims were the main themes Saturday as Nova Scotia’s election campaign neared its midway point.

Nova Scotia NDP leader Gary Burrill hammered Stephen McNeil and his Liberal government’s handling of the messy dispute with the province’s teachers that saw the province impose a contract this year after negotiations with the union were unsuccessful.

“Teachers were diminished, and demeaned, and insulted,” said Burrill. “There is no wellspring of affection for the McNeil Liberals.”

The Liberals issued a news release Saturday promising to put the brakes on school closures as they look for fat to cut in school district administration. The statement said a re-elected Liberal government would launch a full review of “administrative structures” of school boards.

“The recent decisions by boards to reduce classroom supports without looking into central administration savings illustrates the need for this kind of review,” the party said in a statement. “Student needs must be the central focus in resource decision-making.”

The Liberals said they want to respect local decision-making while make sure the “front lines” of the education system have adequate funding.

The Progressive Conservatives also waded into the education debate, releasing a statement Saturday bashing the other parties’ records and accusing the Liberals and NDP of “playing politics” with schools.

“How can Nova Scotians trust Stephen McNeil with school reviews, after he made the deliberate decision to build schools in Liberal constituencies ahead of ones with much greater needs?” the PC party said. “Now, both the McNeil Liberals and the NDP have announced a moratorium.”

The Tories promised to revive schools in Nova Scotia’s struggling communities by investing in classrooms and vocational training.

Burrill also announced his party would invest $2 million to improve services to help sexual assault victims if elected on May 30.

He was joined by two students and a gaggle of campaign staff at Dalhousie University on Saturday as he promised $1 million to double the number of sexual assault therapists in the province. An NDP government would add $1 million in funding for organizations the provide sexual assault services and women’s centres, he said.

“This is a issue that has been very front and centre for us for a long time,” Burrill told reporters. “For every incident that is reported of sexual violence in the media, there are countless incidents that are unaddressed and unreported.”

The NDP is also promising to renew the Liberal government’s $6-million investment in education, prevention and improved support for sexual assault victims over three years.

Burrill says his party will also push for legislation requiring colleges and universities to develop sexual assault policies. The NDP has introduced legislation requiring compulsory reporting of sexual assaults on campus, he said, and said schools should offer 24-hour support services for victims.

The New Democrats have made campus issues a central part of their campaign, including a pledge eliminate tuition for 22,000 full- and part-time students at Nova Scotia Community College at a cost of $30 million a year.

Burrill described young voters as a “core” constituency for his party.

“There is a generation who have had the door of opportunity slammed in their face,” Burrill said. “We cannot in this province move forward unless we get that door reopened.”

Tory leader Jamie Baillie was focusing on Cape Breton ridings Saturday while McNeil had events in the Halifax area.